The Watchlist – Halloween Special

In case you missed it, catch up on the Watchlist Halloween Special or, if you're short on time, check out the list of all the movies featured here.

Watch the video for the full experience or check out the summary below:

An American Werewolf in London

Released: 1981 

Horror style: horror comedy with a side of gross-out

Director: John Landis (Blues Brothers, The 3 Amigos)

Starring:

• David Naughton
• Jenny Agutter
• Griffin Dunne 

What it’s about: Two tourists, David and Jack, visit a local pub in Britain and are attacked by a werewolf. When David tries to explain the attack, the locals deny any knowledge of the wolf.

Why you should watch it: 

• The man-into-wolf transformation scene is undoubtedly a classic. 
• The special effects were a big deal, with the film winning the first ever Academy Award for best make up and inspiring movies like The Fly
• The encounters with a progressively decomposing Jack (aka walking meatloaf) are hilarious

The Wolf of Snow Hollow

Released: 2020 

Horror style: thriller horror mystery with a Fargo flavour

Written, directed by and starring: Jim Cummings (Thunder Road)

Also starring:

• Riki Lindhome 
• Chloe East
• Jimmy Tatro
• Robert Forster 

What it’s about: Terror grips a small mountain town as bodies are discovered after each full moon. Stressed out police officer John is losing sleep, he’s a recovering alcoholic, he’s got problems with the ex and his daughter and the town coroner. And he’s struggling not to give into the town’s paranoia that there’s a werewolf on the loose. 

Why you should watch it:

• Jim Cummings performance as he progressively loses his shit.
• The who-dun-it take on the horror theme.
• At around 80 minutes it’s an easy watch.

Little Monsters

Released: 2019 

Horror style: horror comedy with a dose of Tay Tay

Written and directed by: Abe Forsythe

Starring:

• Lupita Nyong’o 
• Alexander England 
• Kat Stewart 
• Diesel La Torraca
• Josh Gad 

What it’s about: A washed-up musician, a children’s television personality and a kindergarten teacher team up to protect a group of young schoolchildren during a sudden zombie outbreak at a petting zoo excursion

Why you should watch it: 

• Lupita Nyong’o 
• Miss Caroline protecting the kids with conga lines past lunging corpses and singing ‘The Wheels On The Bus’ as chomping zombies snap at the kids 
• Miss Caroline’s ukulele rendition of ‘Shake It Off’
• It’s a funny, likeable Shaun of the Dead meets Kindergarten Cop.
• Lupita Nyong’o

The Lost Boys

Released: 1987

Horror style: heartthrob horror comedy

Director: Joel Schumacher (St Elmos Fire, Batman Forever)

Starring:

• Jason Patric
• Corey Haim 
• Dianne Wiest 
• Barnard Hughes 
• Edward Herrmann 
• Kiefer Sutherland
• Jami Gertz
• Corey Feldman 
• Alex Winter 

What it’s about: Two brothers move to a new town with their mum. The boys are soon sucked into the mysterious and dangerous world of bikers, vampires and vampire hunters.

Why you should watch it: 

• It’s the film that marked the start of the ‘two Coreys’
• It has bad boy vampires (none of this Twilight shit).
• It’s basically Karate kid but with vampires instead of the Cobra Kai. 

The Monster Squad

Released: 1987 

Horror style: horror fantasy with a Goonies vibe

Director: Fred Dekker

Starring:

• André Gower
• Robby Kiger 
• Stephen Macht
• Duncan Regehr
• Stan Shaw
• Tom Noonan 
• Jonathan Gries 

What it’s about: Five kids find themselves up against Dracula, the Mummy, the Gill Man and Frankenstein’s Monster who arrive in town in search of a magic amulet.

Why you should watch it: 

• It’s a throw back to all those fears we had as kids that monsters were lurking under our beds and in our cupboards as soon as our parents left the room.
• 4 quality monsters in the one movie.

The ‘Burbs

Released: 1989 

Horror style: dark comedy with a creepy neighbour

Director: Joe Dante (Gremlins)

Starring: 

• Tom Hanks
• Bruce Dern
• Carrie Fisher
• Rick Ducommun 
• Corey Feldman
• Wendy Schaal 
• Henry Gibson 

What it’s about: An overstressed suburbanite has decided to spend his time off lounging around the house in an effort to relax. But his neighbours have other ideas after they suspect the new family in the neighbourhood, the Klopeks, are mass murderers.

Why you should watch it:

• The great cast—Hanks in particular playing the unhinged, stressed out Ray Peterson.
• Queenie the dog who craps on everyone’s lawn—an established actress I. Her own right after starring in The Silence of the Lambs.
• Because every street has a Klopeks or witch house or haunted house.

Midsommar

Released: 2019 

Horror style: folk horror, drama, psychological thriller

Written and directed by: Ari Aster (Hereditary)

Starring:

• Florence Pugh 
• Jack Reynor 
• William Jackson Harper
• Vilhelm Blomgren 
• Ellora Torchia
• Archie Madekwe
• Will Poulter 

What it’s about: A couple travel to Sweden to visit their friend’s rural hometown for its fabled midsummer festival that occurs once every 90 years. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly turns into a devolves into a violent and bizarre cult ritual.

Why you should watch it:

• If you enjoy psychological thrillers.
• For the spectacular visuals, scenery and cinematography.
• If you like movies that make you keep thinking about them for a long time afterwards.

Beetlejuice

Released: 1988 

Horror style: comedy fantasy aboard the banana boat

Director: Tim Burton

Starring:

• Alec Baldwin
• Geena Davis
• Micheal Keaton
• Winona Ryder

What it’s about: A recently deceased couple become ghosts living in their former home. An unbearable family move into their home and start redecorating so they hire an obnoxious, devious poltergeist named Betelgeuse to drive them out.

Why you should watch it:

• You’re a fan of Tim Burton.
• You’re after horror that’s more charming than scary.
• For the A-list cast.

A Nightmare On Elm Street

Released: 1984 

Horror style: horror mystery, supernatural slasher

Written and directed by:Wes Craven (Scream, The Hills Have Eyes)

Starring: 

• Heather Langenkamp 
• John Saxon
• Ronee Blakley
• Robert Englund
• Johnny Depp (in his film debut and a midriff top)

What it’s about: 4 teenagers living in the same street are invaded and killed in their dreams by a burnt killer with a bladed leather glove.

Why you should watch it: 

• It’s one of the most iconic horror franchises of all time and with one of the most notable villains in history—Freddy Krueger.
• There are some impressive death scenes.
• It’ll creep you out.

Halloween

Released: 2018

Horror style: horror thriller with a very focussed killer

Director:David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express)

Starring:

• Jamie Lee Curtis 
• Nick Castle
• James Jude Courtney 
• Judy Greer 
• Andi Matichak 
• Will Patton 

What it’s about: Laurie Strode had a narrow escape from Michael Myers’ babysitter killing spree 40 years ago. She made it her mission never to get caught off guard again and now she lives as a doomsday prepper. Michael escapes from the institution he’s been locked up in and now Laurie must confront her fears and put an end to his killing spree.

Why you should watch it:

• Appeals to the series’ diehard fans with lots of nods to the original.
• It also stands on its own.
• It was the highest grossing film in the franchise in its opening weekend.
• Jamie Lee Curtis is excellent.